McIntosh County

The Handprint Site

Petroglyphs at the Handprint Site

Rock art produced by Native Americans both before and after European
contact is found throughout the state of Oklahoma. These representations
of animals, people, and geometric designs pecked (petroglyphs) or
painted (pictographs) onto
rock outcrops provide an immediate sense of connection to the people
who lived here before us. While we can only speculate about the
meaning of these artistic expressions to the people who made them,
we can readily feel our connection to them. When any particular
rock art was produced is difficult to determine. Pictographs have
been successfully dated by chemically analyzing the pigments used
to paint the figures, but this technique is very expensive and rarely
used. The subject matter of some rock art can reveal the relative
time period of its manufacture; for example, figures of horses and
guns have been found which clearly were made after the first Europeans
entered Oklahoma in the 16th century. However, there is very little
way to determine when most of the Oklahoma rock art was done.

Handprints and "shield" figure

Handprints, like six of the 15 petroglyphs found at the Handprint
Site in McIntosh County, are among the most common motifs in rock
art. The petroglyphs at the Handprint Site were pecked into the
dark patina of the sandstone to reveal the lighter, unweathered
surface. The figures have been somewhat protected from weathering
by a small overhang. In addition to the handprints, there are also
"shield" figures, a footprint (see below) and a zigzag
figure.

Footprint petroglyph

Another petroglyph site in McIntosh County, only 5
miles to the north, is believed to have some relationship to the
Handprint Site since identical "shield" figures have been
identified there.